Kittens 101--a plea for a primer!

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hey y’all~</p>

<p>Our household had its first litter of kittens last night! :slight_smile: Our black and white cat, Belle, gave birth to six kittens! When I found them this a.m., one had already passed away. :frowning: Belle seemed to be doing OK with them, but this evening, we found that another kitten had passed away. My oldest D and I were pretty upset, and now, we’re afraid that Belle isn’t taking care of them properly.</p>

<p>Cats are fairly new to our family (within the past 3-4 years). We’ve mostly been dog people in the past, so we <em>really</em> are clueless in terms of this process. We’ve never had kittens OR puppies. All of our animals have been spayed or neutered 'cept Belle, and we were getting around to that, but were apparently too late. ;)</p>

<p>We have good homes lined up for the kitties (and we’re keeping one), but our concern now is that they all SURVIVE until then!!!</p>

<p>Anyone have experience with this?? And if so, PLEASE SHARE!!! :)</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t even know what QUESTIONS to ask! :confused:</p>

<p>~berurah</p>

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<p>Please get them to a vet right away!</p>

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<p>A few questions:</p>

<p>1.) Should a mama cat be staying with her kittens at all times? Most of the time? Belle seems to want to follow US. She’s content to sit with her babies while one of US is with her, but when WE leave, she leaves too.</p>

<p>2.) How warm do baby kittens have to be kept? Is the warmth of the mommy cat sufficient? If she won’t stay with them, what happens?</p>

<p>3.) Is it normal for a mama cat to “brag” on her kittens and want to show everyone? She comes to us and meows and wants us to follow her to be with them!</p>

<p>4.) Will she feed them naturally?? Or do we need to do something to encourage her?</p>

<p>5.) How common is it for baby kittens to pass away? Do you think they may have been cold?</p>

<p>6.) Where should we keep them? She had them in a cozy nook in the basement, but then she started hauling them upstairs! Is this normal? So, we took one of my D’s drawers, cleared it out, made a soft space for everyone and let her and her kittens be in there. But again, she won’t stay in my D’s room without one of us, so we brought the whole thing down here to the main level. </p>

<p>Any ideas??</p>

<p>THANKS! ~b.</p>

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<p>tanya~</p>

<p>Does everyone take less-than-24-hour-old kittens to the vet right away? Or do you think that there is something wrong? I had always thought this was a pretty natural process…</p>

<p>~b.</p>

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<a href=“Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach”>Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach;

<p>Those quotes were from the above source. We also have been more dog people so I did a little searching for you. Good luck with the babies!! Take some pictures for us.</p>

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<p>B: Call your vet for sure! She should be with her kittens. They should be feeding - often.</p>

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<p>Again from above source:

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<p>THANKS mkm and weenie!!! It sounds to me like they’re NOT eating enough! Anyone know how to encourage Belle to be with them more???</p>

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<p>Yes, they need to see a vet. At any rate they will eventually need to be vaxed and spayed/neutered. The mother also needs to see a vet. I do not have very much experience with cats to tell you the truth, but it’s not unusual for excess care to be needed, or you have to be willing to watch nature take it’s course. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to be harsh, but I am concerned that you had an unfixed cat that apparently roams outdoors…? Unless you have another unfixed cat. This can be very dangerous, in addition to the fact that millions of kittens are euthanized each year. Cat overpopulation is even worse than dog overpopulation. Some of the shelters in Va have a 100% euth rate for cats. No one wants them. “Just one more litter” adds up to millions of surplus animals every year :frowning: </p>

<p>I implore you to stop the cycle here. Accidental litters are THE source of pet overpopulation, particularly because of their vicious cycle: someone doesn’t get around to s/n, animal roams, animal gets pregnant, and the product is merrily shipped off to friends. One of the big problems here is that that’s rather opportunistic - people are taking a cat because an oppotunity popped up. Which can be fine, however once it’s not a kitten, the animal can end up at the shelter. Also, all these other people don’t get around to s/n the litter, and then there’s just “one more” litter times several. As you can see, this is a problem of a magnitude that the long hours, tears and sweat, and debt of the rescue community cannot solve. It is like a stopped up sink with the faucet turned on full force: no matter how hard we try to use all the pots and pans in the kitchen to bail the water out, there’s always more and it still overflows :frowning: Sadly, at this point, we cannot even begin to save them all; current (true) figures are at around ten million euthed each year I believe. </p>

<p>I can tell you some basic information about how the rescue community handles pregnant rescues, particularly for cats which don’t have as much adoption appeal as dogs anywhere really. It is too late for this info, but as for basic information, pregnant spays can be done and this is typically the choice the rescue community makes early in pregnancy. I realize it’s a divisive issue because it draws parallels to human abortion but it really isn’t the same. We don’t euth humans. Anyone who wants to compare the two obviously has not seen a companion animal live out its life in a shelter cage, on the cold concrete, never knowing the love of a human owner. There is so much suffering in this life for these animals and we could not in good faith justifying bringing more in with millions of excess. However late in pregnancy, although this is still very possible, some vets won’t perform it. At that point, when the birth goes through, ultimate responsibility for the kittens (or any animal adopted through rescue) is taken by the rescue. This stops the cycle effectively. Before animals are adopted out, they are spayed and neutered. Do not give a contract. Do not just assume the new owners will do it. PEDIATRIC S/Ns ARE VERY POSSIBLE, COMPLETELY SAFE AND ARE PERFORMED EVERY DAY BY VETS IN AMERICA. In the north, this should not be a problem. They need to be 2 lbs or I think six weeks, not sure of that but 2 lbs definitely. </p>

<p>They also would be completely vaxed before adoption. The adoption fee offsets this. ANIMALS SHOULD REMAIN WITH THE LITTER AND MOTHER FOR 10-12 WEEKS. None of this 6 week BS that pet stores will sell you. This goes for anyone - never, ever purchase an animal under 8 weeks. Several states have LAWS against this, but it still goes on. It is a crucial socialization period. If you decide to home the kittens yourself, I hope you will be willing to take ultimate responsibility, by offering to take them back at any time before they go to the shelter. This is what rescues and responsible breeders do, again to break the cycle. </p>

<p>However if you feel you are not up to the task, you could try calling a rescue. They may be unwilling to help because they usually go through kill shelters first - it depends on how desperate your area is. A cat rescue could probably give more info, although then again I suppose I’ve been rather unfriendly in this post, many people in rescue are more easily excitable than I am. I hope it goes without saying that the mother will be spayed ASAP. I also hope you will reconsider whatever caused her to get pregnant, if she gets out to roam - cars and other animals are a big danger and so is FelV and FIV for cats. A rescue generally will not allow “outdoor” cats and if they are raised as kittens indoors this should present no problems whatsoever, so I hope you will encourage this with the new owners. They of course should be researching cats, there is a lot of info out there from vets, you can look for the “Animal Doctor” column vet, Michael Fox, online, he has lots of information out there and I generally agree it is very reputable IME and the collective experience of those I know.</p>

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<p>I’m so sorry you’ve lost two of your baby kittens. :frowning: I had a cats when I was little and had a couple of litters of kittens. We never did anything other than provide a safe warm bed for the little family. Once though, the male cat I had, killed two of the newborn kittens, but other than that, we didn’t lose any of the babies. I have a dog now, but I still have a warm spot for cats and especially kittens. I hope the rest of the little kittens do well.</p>

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<p>

Princedog~</p>

<p>I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but yes, this <em>was</em> a bit harsh for where we are at right now. We have been very responsible pet owners. We have four dogs, all of whom have been neutered and spayed, and all of our cats have been acquired through adoption/rescue and all but Belle have been neutered/spayed. Our cats do not regularly “roam” outdoors, though they do sneak out occasionally. We had not gotten around to spaying Belle; however, we HAVE lined up good, responsible homes for all of the kittens and plan to have her spayed as soon as possible.</p>

<p>I honestly feel like I am being lectured by you. I know your intentions are good, but this is <em>not</em> what I needed tonight. What I needed tonight was support and infomation on keeping the remaining kittens safe and healthy. Where I do appreciate your passion for this subject, I believe this was not the time or proper opportunity to express it. Thanks, though, for the thought.</p>

<p>~berurah</p>

<p>p.s. My dh and I have been loving pet owners since before we got MARRIED, and this is the FIRST litter of ANYTHING…puppies OR kittens that we’ve ever had. Two of our current four dogs have also been acquired though adoption, as well as ALL of our cats.</p>

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<p>I’m sorry you feel that way. This is obviously a topic I have great personal investment in. I could edit my post but I honestly don’t really care about diplomacy on this topic because I honestly think people do need a reality check. It is also jarring to me. I go to sleep every night grieving for the dogs and cats we must say good bye to everyday.</p>

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<p>beruah, at least you didn’t have three mama cats giving birth at the same time! </p>

<p>My friend’s cats just did this (and no, I’m not supporting her decision to not get them fixed, but she tells me they’re sort of wild cats that they feed sometimes and they don’t consider them as pets). When the original mom cat had kittens, they thought the two that they didn’t give away were boys…but they were not. A tom cat came along…and all of a sudden they’re stuck with about 11 kittens, 7 of which they still have to give away.</p>

<p>Yeah, I think she should have gotten them fixed, but her mom didn’t want to drop the money to get it done, and since she thought they were male, she didn’t think it mattered as much.</p>

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<p>Berurah,</p>

<p>I followed every post about your injured dog earlier this year and now this! You may have to write a book about your pets someday. I’d certainly buy it!</p>

<p>I haven’t assisted in the raising of kittens in ages, but yes, momma should want to be near her kittens nearly all the time in the first week at least. Sounds like she has no idea what to do and is trying to keep you near to help her out. </p>

<p>Our oldest cat (now 20) had 2 litters in her youth before we adopted & spayed her. She was a horrible mother. Drowned the first litter, nearly starved the next. We had to lock her up in a dog crate with them for a couple of hours at a time to get her to nurse. No maternal instincts that one.</p>

<p>You are a wonderful pet-mom, don’t let anyone tell you different.</p>

<p>Good luck with the babies and keep us posted.</p>

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<p>B</p>

<p>I have had two different cats have litters of kittens. Each time, we lost one kitten. The mother seperated the kittens that were the weakest and did not feed them. The mother will move the kittens around. Both times the mother moved the kittens and left the one that she did not want to feed–they died within the first few days.</p>

<p>I did notice that the mothers liked company in the room, but did not want her kittens handled by humans.</p>

<p>You may want to call the vet if you think they are not being fed enough.
As I recall, the kittens eat a little and sleep a little, then repeat.
How old is the mother? If she is young, she may have difficulty staying with the kittens</p>

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<p>Berurah, So sorry to hear that you lost two of them. All the best to Belle and the four kittens. I would be inclined to call the vet , even after hours - for some advice.</p>

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<p>B-
Good luck with your kittens! It might be a good idea to put a sleeping bag down for the first night or two and stay with your mama cat in the room where her kittens are. She is probably scared and is looking for reassurance (especially if she’s young). Also, if you’ve ever breastfed, you know it can hurt at first, so maybe there is some pain involved. Just a guess. </p>

<p>I agree that a lecture is NOT what a person who has just lost two kittens needs right now! :frowning: Use some courtesy and common sense and save it for a less sensitive time, P-dog.</p>

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<p>maysixxmom~</p>

<p>OMG, thank you SO much!!! You have made me feel <em>SO</em> much better! It’s good to know that not every cat has a maternal instinct because for reasons of my huge, innnate guilt complex, I tend to think that EVERYTHING is my fault <em>sigh</em>. :(</p>

<p>It’s funny…we were just hauling in one of the dog crates for Belle and babes because we wanted to confine her with them, so I’m glad to hear that this worked for you. Right now, she’s doing REALLY well, but then, we’ve had one (or more) of us sitting with her constantly all night and we’ve had her with us on the main level of the house and with heater set nearby at the appropriate temp.</p>

<p>I did talk to the vet’s office. The woman I spoke to was very supportive and gave us suggestions, including placing hot water bottles under the blankets, so D just went and got those. I asked her about supplementing, but she said it was MUCH better to have the mama feed the babes, even if you had to hold her down for a bit to facilitate it. After we tried that for a bit, Belle seemed to do much better feeding them on her own.</p>

<p>I truly thank you for all of your support and encouragement. It means the world to me.</p>

<p>

This is EXACTLY what happened last night. She had separated two of the kittens out. One had passed away, but we placed the other one with the larger pile of kittens. </p>

<p>

We are trying not to handle them TOO much, though some handling is encouraged (about 20 min/day) even in the first couple of weeks. Belle doesn’t seem to mind our holding her babes, but we’ve mostly picked them up to situate them for nursing or to move them to a warmer place.</p>

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BINGO. THIS is the problem, and the vet’s office said this also.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your input!</p>

<p>~berurah</p>

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<p>I haven’t been around kittens in years (younger S. is allergic :(), but… the fact that she’s wanting to follow you around instead of immersing herself in her new little family sounds a bit iffy. Do they spend much time nursing, and afterwards are they content (i.e. quiet, full, sleepy)? </p>

<p>Are they in a type of box where they’re all close enough to stay warm?</p>

<p>By now you have probably spoken to your vet. Keep us posted, and good luck!</p>

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<p>Woops, looks like my questions were answered. What I get for not typing fast enough!</p>